Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn appears before a Common Council committee on May 6, 2016, to talk about crime-fighting. He discussed strategies to reduce gun violence in Milwaukee as well as other crime-related issues, including the recent increase in carjackings.(Photo: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

The commission has said it valued transparency and community involvement in the process of selecting an interim chief from within the department. To that end, the board took applications for a week, narrowed the pool to three finalists and scheduled two public meetings.

Flynn said the process has "destabilized" the department and he knows of no other major city that has undertaken a similar one.

"People in the department are human, they want to pick a winner," Flynn told Mike Gousha during "On the Issues" at the law school.

"If you’re going to have a vacancy in the chief, you make the second-in-command the interim chief while the process occurs," he said. "Why? Because you want continuity and stability while the inherently destabilizing process of selecting a leader takes place."

Flynn's remarks come a day after his second-in-command, Assistant Chief James Harpole, withdrew as a finalist and announced his retirement, effective Feb. 16, the same as Flynn.

The two remaining interim chief candidates, Inspector Michael J. Brunson and Capt. Alfonso Morales, are expected to speak at a public forum from 5 to 7:30 p.m. today at Mexican Fiesta Headquarters, 2997 S. 20th St.

In a letter to the Fire and Police Commission, Harpole wrote that it became apparent to him during his interview that the board wants to move in a "different direction" from Flynn's administration.

He said he believed the board had "diminished interest" in his candidacy because he was a sitting assistant chief appointed by Flynn. It was that reason, among others, he said, that he was withdrawing as a candidate and exploring opportunities outside the department.

Commission Chairman Steven DeVougas said it was not true that Harpole's current position had lessened his chances of getting the job.

"We are satisfied with the transparent, community-driven process that we developed," DeVougas wrote in a memo to Harpole.